


Trial

by pleasejustpickaname



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: ATEEZ (Band) Are Pirates, Alternate Universe, Gen, Magic, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:27:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasejustpickaname/pseuds/pleasejustpickaname
Summary: When the crew of The Utopia moored for the night, they had no idea where they were. However, this single mooring would throw everything they knew for a loop, leading to a mess involving time travel, Greek gods and several trials to find their beloved captain.How will they retrieve him? Only time will tell.
Kudos: 11





	1. The Beginning

When Seonghwa woke up that morning, he had not expected the day to end this way.  
Scrambling on the slippery planks of The Utopia, he managed to make his way to where San was struggling to bring down the sails. The combined strength of the pirates allowed them to complete their task in time for another large wave to crash on the deck. The boat listed heavily to the side, sending the duo skidding to the other side of the ship.  
Winded from their collision with the wall of the ship, they had to take a minute to recover.  
"ARE YOU OK?" Seonghwa yelled, the strong wind and noise of the storm nearly swallowing his voice whole.  
San nodded, managing to get to his own two feet.  
"I'M FINE!" He yelled, staggering as the ship listed again but staying upright. "WHAT DO WE DO?"  
Seonghwa didn't answer, eyes searching the ship until he saw his Captain.  
Hongjoong was struggling keep the wheel under control, face screwed up in concentration as he tried to get the ship through the storm. His hands gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his feet were as firmly planted on the wood as they could be. When the duo made eye contact, the younger only grimaced, gesturing towards where Mingi was struggling to keep the anchor from slipping. Seonghwa quickly found his way to the younger, helping him haul the anchor onto the ship.  
Taking a quick breather, the oldest couldn't help but examine the chaos on the ship. San was helping Wooyoung below deck, the younger holding his head. Blood could be seen dripping from beneath his fingers, and his face looked pained. Yeosang must have been below deck already, probably ensuring he had his medical equipment set up. Once this storm had hit they knew there would be some casualties, it was too violent not to.  
A yell drew his attention to the other side of the ship, where Yunho had nearly slipped into the choppy waves. Jongho was clinging onto his arm with one hand, the other solidly gripping the mast in the centre of the boat. The younger pulled the taller back on board, straining against the combined forces of gravity and Yunho's muscle mass.  
Suddenly, a huge cracking sound ripped through the air. Seonghwa's eyes widened in terror as he saw the ship start to tear in half, watching as Hongjoong paled.  
"THE OTHERS," he yelled, "THEY'RE BELOW DECK!"  
He could see the determination in the leaders eyes as he abandoned the wheel, speedily heading below deck to try and get the other members outside. When they finally got outside, Seonghwa could only watch in dismay as the ship cracked further.  
" JUMP! " He suddenly heard Hongjoong cry, and he turned to the leader incredulously.  
"ARE YOU CRAZY?"  
"TRUST ME!"  
As the ship cracked further, Seonghwa did something he never thought he'd do.  
Watching as Hongjoong pushed Mingi into the water, seeing San, Yeosang and Wooyoung floating on a plank from the ship, he took a deep breath...  
And jumped.  
\-----------  
Water splashed on his face, and Seonghwa woke up sputtering, the hysterical laughter of San and Wooyoung the first thing he heard. He sputtered, wiping it out of his eyes and jumping to his feet.  
"HEY, YOU BRATS!" He yelled playfully, before taking in the scene before him.  
He was on an island, he could see the sea on the other end. The sky was a bewitching purple tone, unnaturally so, and the sand was too gold to be real. Beautiful flowers glimmered like they'd been sprayed with glitter, and the trees were perfectly trimmed.  
San and Wooyoung were running away from him, Wooyoung's head injury free. Mingi was laid next to him, snoring peacefully. Yunho sat by the campfire, tending the too-red flames carefully. He looked up at the older, a bright grin lighting his face.  
"Ah, you're finally awake!" He laughed, "I told them we should let you sleep, but when have they ever listened to me, huh?"  
Seonghwa blinked, disbelieving.  
"W- what happened, Yunho?"  
Yunho frowned, standing up and walking towards him. He put his hand on the shorter's forehead, face creasing in concern.  
"You don't have a fever," he murmered, "you don't remember? There was a storm on the horizon so we decided to land to ride it out. This island was near our coordinates, we barely escaped it. Luckily there was a house on here we could hide out in, remember? You were ecstatic because the pillows were feather-filled."  
Seonghwa frowned himself, thinking. The last he remembered was jumping into the ocean, with the rest of the members in there with him, scared and cold. The only one he hadn't seen jump was Hongjoong, now he came to think of it. But... But that completely contrasted what Yunho was saying.  
"I- I must have had a bad dream," he found himself saying, "the last thing I remember is being in the storm. It must be messing with me."  
Yunho's shoulders relaxed, and he grinned again. "Well, you do have a tendency to have really realistic dreams. Hongjoong's in the house if you want to speak to him, he may be able to jog your memory better than I can."  
With that, Yunho headed back to his fireplace. San had now joined Yeosang, who was basking in the warm sunshine. Wooyoung was irritating Jongho, who seemed to be collecting berries, by pelting him with the fruits. He watched as Jongho smushed one on the older's nose, heard Wooyoung yell in playful anger as he started chasing the younger around the island. Everything was perfect, but why did Seonghwa feel so strange?  
He sighed, heading towards the large wood cabin. Maybe Hongjoong could shed some light on the situation.  
He opened the door, which didn't creak despite looking like it had never been oiled in its life. He stepped into the front room, anogher warm too-red fire crackling merrily in the living room. He searched each too perfect room until he found the last bedroom, where Hongjoong was on the bed, looking at the map he carried everywhere.  
"Hongjoong, " he sighed, "What happened?"  
Hongjoong smiled, his grin welcoming, and opened his mouth to speak. However, instead of the reassurance he was hoping for, the world around him twisted and Hongjoong's face turned scared. Suddenly the too-perfect bedroom was burning, the map clutched in Hongjoong's trembling hands stained with blood.  
"Help..." he whispered, repeating the word louder until he was screaming it in Seonghwa's face. Seonghwa scrambled backwards, hitting the wall when suddenly - -  
"HYUNG!" He looked up, Yunho's scared face in front of him. Weird sounds assaulted his head, and giant glass buildings towered around him.  
His head whipped around in disbelief. Gone were the thatched rooves of civilisation, the markets. Flashing lights surrounded him, strange metal hills sped past on bizarre not-wooden wheels. He looked back at Yunho, mouth agape.  
"Where are we?" He whispered, not wanting to know the answer.  
"I don't know."


	2. The Future

Seonghwa and Yunho couldn't figure out where they were. They could read the boards prevalent around the area they were in, most of which said some random words they couldn't understand. The metal contraptions whizzed by at ungodly speeds, and they stood out like a sore thumb in their sea-wear. People were wearing clothing of bright hues, not the coarse cotton that the duo and their crew were wearing.  
"Hey, at least they'll be recognisable," The older tried to cheer up Yunho, who was shaken up. The taller simply clung to his hyung even more, afraid.  
He had been so afraid, in fact, that Seonghwa hadn't told him about his dream. Hongjoong's terrified face was stuck in Seonghwa's head, and his screams for help chilled him to the bone.  
He didn't know what was going on, didn't have the slightest clue, but was going to figure it out.  
"YEOSANG!" Yunho's cry broke Seonghwa out of his reverie, and he ran to the younger, who was hiding in an alleyway.  
"Hyung!" The smallest sighed quietly, hugging them. "This is insane!"  
Seonghwa clung onto the younger two, Yunho's long arms embracing the two with ease.  
"Are you OK?" He asked, scanning him for any injuries.  
"I'm fine," the smaller brushed off Seonghwa's worried gaze, looking him straight in the eyes. "But I had a dream, a weird one. Come back here- this place is abandoned and we can talk properly."  
The smaller lead them into the abandoned warehouse (judging by the sign on the top), which was dirty and smashed up, but thankfully empty. Seonghwa sank onto the battered chair, relieved to be off his feet. Yunho was still clinging to Yeosang's arm, the duo sitting on a large slab of leather.  
"What did you see, Yeosang?"  
"Buckle down," Yeosang sighed, "It's a long one..."  
\----  
Yeosang had awoken in a white landscape, no one in sight. He was on a cold floor (marble, he thought numbly, like the temples), and all around him was white.  
"Hello?" He called out timidly, climbing to his feet. "HELLO?"  
"Ah, Kang Yeosang," a smooth voice came from behind him, causing the boy to jump. He turned in that direction, seeing a woman sat on a silver throne. He scrambled back, sure she hadn't been there before.  
"Who are you?!" he demanded, "Where am I?!"  
"So demanding," the woman drawled, a frown on her pretty face. "You could at least say thank you to your rescuer."  
"Rescuer?" Yeosang frowned, "What?"  
"I forgot you're unaware," the woman mused once more, and with a wave of her hand a cushioned chair appeared next to Yeosang. "Sit down, pretty boy, it's a long story."  
As the boy took a seat, the woman spoke.  
"My name is Hecate, I am the Greek goddess of magic. And you and your crew, unfortunately, did something bad. Unintentionally of course, but you found Atlantis, which is Poseidon, the god of the seas, home. Of course, when you moored, you caused some minor damage to Poseidon's Palace."  
" Wait, what?" Yeosang stammered, unable to comprehend the information.  
" Yes, it's true. So Poseidon brought this storm upon you as a punishment." Hecate sighed, resting her chin in her hand." Usually he's not so irritable, but your father hasn't given him any sacrifices recently so I think he was more angry than usual. Anyway, Aphrodite asked me to step in to help out, so I managed to convince him to not kill you-"  
"Wait, he wanted to kill us?" Yeosang stood up, "Are the others OK? They weren't hurt right?"  
"Calm down," Hecate soothed, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder and pushing him down. She touched the marble floor, which turned to glass, showing the choppy seas below. San and Wooyoung were on planks, clinging to Yeosang's body, which appeared to be unconscious. Seonghwa was coughing as Jongho hoisted him onto a plank with Mingi, Yunho making sure his and the maknaes plank didn't overturn. Hongjoong was nowhere to be seen, the distinctive red pants eluding Yeosang's vision.  
"I managed to persuade Poseidon to give you a challenge, to prove you're worthy of living and receiving his treasure, yes the treasure you've been working to find," she answered Yeosang's question before he could ask. "Listen, child, and listen well, the challenge is designed for you to suffer and die. But, if you are smart about what you do, you may be able to avoid a horrible death..."  
\----  
Yeosang explained what Hecate had told him, that they were in a city called Seoul in a place called South Korea.  
"We have to find each other," he said, "because each of us are close to death in a different way. If we fail to collect one member of the crew we'll never return home."  
Seonghwa grimaced, his own dream coming to mind. "I had a dream," he murmured, "We were on an island, one too perfect. I spoke to Hongjoong but he was scared, crying for help. Did she say anything about that?"  
The blood drained from Yeosang's face, "She did say one of us would be held for insurance. Was he OK?"  
"There was blood," Seonghwa avoided their gaze, "And the room was burning."  
"Wait, does that mean Hongjoong's hurt?" Yunho's eyes flickered between the other two, "we have to help him!"  
"Hecate said he's insurance," Yeosang shook his head, "meaning he's the last one we'll find. His location will be revealed as we find the others."  
Yunho sank into the tattered leather behind him, mind running at a mile a minute. "So what do we do?" He sighed.  
"Rest for now," Seonghwa said, "it looks like night time, we'll find the others in the morning."  
Yeosang obeyed without a second thought, curling up next to Yunho for heat and dropping off quickly. Seonghwa stood guard, and Yunho's eyes dropped of their own volition, sending him into a memory dreamscape...  
\----  
Bare feet splashed in a puddle, the teen weaving through market goers. Even in the rain, people had to get food, Yunho thought to himself.  
He was heavily breathing, loud angry yelling coming from behind him. He pushed through desperately, accidentally knocking over someone with distinctive red pants. He had San's hand clutched in a deathly grip, the shorter boy struggling to keep pace.  
"GET BACK HERE YOU FILTHY SLAVES!" Roared a low voice, and Yunho cringed, pulling San even harder.   
"Come on!" He said urgently, "We have to go faster!"  
"I can't," San cried out, his legs failing him. They hadn't eaten on days, and they were both weak. "I'm sorry Yunho, I can't." San was crying, unable go keep going for the life of him. Yunho could feel his heart sinking, and he dropped to his knees, holding the younger in an embrace as the slave master caught up to them.  
The sound of a whip cracked in the air, but it never made contact.  
"Excuse me," came a sickly sweet voice, "but what is happening here?"  
Yunho dared to look up, seeing a male, shorter than him, with the red pants he'd noticed earlier. He stood between the slave master and them, arms crossed.  
"These slaves were trying to escape the auction," the slave master grunted, "now move out of the way little boy, let me claim my property."  
The man turned to look at the two of them, eyes sharp and dangerous. He took in how they trembled, how San was sobbing quietly into Yunho's shoulder. He sighed, turning to the slave-master.  
"500 gold for the pair."  
The man's eyes bugged out of his head, and he easily took the deal. He went to remove the metal collars on the slaves necks, both of whom refused to look at him. The slave-master took them off with more force than necessary, heading back to his auction gleefully.  
"Hey, are you OK?" The man had asked, bending down and checking them over. With a frown, he had called Seonghwa to carry San to the Utopia, Yeosang treating them in the ships infirmary. Hongjoong, as he later introduced himself, invited them to join the crew of The Utopia, and the duo had accepted, not knowing where else they could go. They had fit into that atmosphere so well it wa alike they had met by fate.  
\----  
Yunho woke with tears dribbling down his face. He looked around, seeing Seonghwa had fallen asleep in his chair and Yeosang was still snoozing quietly beside him. Yunho silently let the tears fall, hiding them in the smallers hair.  
Hongjoong had saved him from death, he thought to himself. Hongjoong had saved him, and yet he hadn't been able to keep the older from being hurt.  
So Yunho closed his eyes, swearing an oath to himself. He would find Hongjoong, or he would die trying.


	3. The Stars

Yeosang's sleep was not as peaceful as it seemed. In his mind, all he could hear was Hecate saying two words.  
The Star-Gazer.  
When he awoke, he was heavily confused. Who, or what was The Star-Gazer? And what did that have to do with him? Seeing the others were asleep, he settled down and tried to clear his head.  
What did she mean?  
\----  
Meanwhile, in an art museum, something strange was happening. A piece of art, a painting, started to glow. The on duty security guards were terrified, and news stations had already flocked to the scene with policemen.   
It was a painting of a young man, arms stretched towards a starry sky with a dimpled grin on his face. The man's features changed, becoming more 3D, and the painting glowed even brighter before growing.  
The police stepped in front of the growing crowd, guns pointed at the mysterious painting, before shimmering tendrils of gold flew out.  
They wrapped into the position of the man, forming a solid gold statue of a man with his arms in the sky, before settling gently on the ground.  
Once on the ground, the gold melted into the ground, leaving the limp form of San on the ground. The crowd fell silent, confused and slightly amazed.  
As paramedics were called to the scene to check on San's wellbeing, news stations everywhere were reporting live. Newspapers were being printed, front page articles reading in big block letters-  
THE STAR-GAZER COMES TO LIFE?   
\----  
Yeosang stood outside, hearing Seonghwa and Yunho come up behind him. All of them were newly changed, dressed in modern clothing and with dyed hair.   
They had found the hair dyes in the store they had ransacked, and figured it would work to hide their appearances should it be necessary. Seonghwa had dyed his hair a royal purple tone, whereas Yeosang had gone for a golden tone. Yunho had gone for bright blue, having an affinity for the colour. They had all chopped their hair to fit in, the shaggy hair that was common in their world standing out horrifically here.   
"Are we ready?" The oldest asked, causing Yeosang to sigh.   
"Not really but here we go."   
The trio stepped out into the world, having raised a shop the night before and trying to learn enough about the world they were stuck on to act like they belong.  
They entered the busy streets, almost immediately being swept up in the crowds. Feeling his chest tighten when he nearly lost his friends, Yeosang focused on putting one foot in front of the other, carrying on until he heard something which stopped him in his tracks.  
"-the case of the painting of The Star-Gazer, which mysteriously came to life last night, has not yet been explained. Authorities state that the man who emerged from the painting has yet to awaken, but he is in the care of Seoul's number one hospital-"  
Yeosang stood stock still amidst the crowd, Seonghwa and Yunho looking at him with confusion.  
The Star-Gazer.  
He watched the screen in the window, and his friends gasped as suddenly, San's face was seen.  
"San!"  
\----  
When San awoke, it was to the beeping of machines and a clinical white room. A doctor was scribbling furiously in his notepad, and San jerked upright, struggling to breathe.  
"WOAH, easy buster!" The doctor cried, pushing San back onto the bed, "I know this must be confusing, but we're here to help."  
San couldn't breathe, the scent of lemon cleaner only making him panic more. He managed to get out of the bed, running barefoot down the hallway in an attempt to leave. He opened doors, flew through rooms, the pajamas the hospital had put him in doing nothing against the bitter cold.  
When he finally exited the hospital, he had to stop and stare.  
The world was nothing like he remembered it, and the dirty air made him want to cough and splutter. Not wanting to be caught again, he ran down the steps to the hospital and straight into the road.  
"SAN! LOOK OUT!"  
A tall figure tackled San's own, dragging him to the pavement as a car sped past, honking in irritation. San trembled as the tall figure hoisted him up, practically carrying him away from the hospital.  
When they got into a dark building, gentle hands took him from the tall one.  
"San, can you hear me? I need you to breathe with me or you're going to pass out."  
San knew that voice.  
"Seonghwa?"  
Not waiting for an answer, the younger wrapped his arms around his hyung's neck, crying gently as he tried to calm down. Seonghwa gently rubbed his back, allowing the boy to tuck his head into his neck.  
"We need to get him changed," Yeosang said, not wanting to rush them but aware of the dangers. "They'll be looking for him in those clothes."  
Seonghwa nodded, but didn't let go, holding the younger until he stopped shaking.  
"Are you alright?"  
San obviously was not alright, face red from crying with tear tracks down his face, but he nodded anyway, wiping his face and nose with his hands. Yunho passed him a pair of blue jeans, with a pink fluffy jumper. It was a similar outfit to his own, although Yunho was wearing a red hoodie. Seonghwa was wearing loose black dress pants with a purple shirt, while Yeosang was wearing black sweatpants with a white vest.  
Yeosang approached San with his stolen scissors, pushing him into the chair and carefully chopping his shaggy hair.  
"San will definitely need his dyeing," Yunho rummaged through the pile of dyes, lifting up two colours and holding them to his head. "Try the pink, that should throw anyone off."  
"Don't forget that bleach stuff," Seonghwa pointed out, "we learned that when yours went moldy green."  
Yunho grumbled playfully, the light atmosphere helping San calm back down.  
"What's going on?" He asked Seonghwa, "Where are we?"  
The tale took a while to explain, and by the time they were done Yeosang was towelling San's newly pink hair, letting it air dry.  
"So this is, what, a punishment? For resting in the wrong place and probably denting Poseidons Palace? That doesn't seem fair." San grumbled.  
"What can we do," Yeosang sighed, "Gods are gods, and at least we're not dead."  
San nodded his assent, looking up at his friends. "So what do we do? Wait around until we find the other three and then find Hongjoong?"  
At the three nods he received, the pink-haired male sighed on frustration, flinging himself down on the leather sofa with his head in Yunho's lap.   
"OK, I'm going to take a nap, the rest of you can figure something out. I'm exhausted." He quickly drifted off, much to Yunho's amusement.  
\----  
San's dream was strange, not as clear cut as the others. Flowers flooded his vision, but not just any flowers. Eglantine roses. A wound to heal.  
A statue came into sight, eglantine roses growing up its legs unnaturally. The figure had a hand to its head, a plaque at the bottom that disappeared before he could read it.  
\----  
When night fell, Yeosang insisted on taking first shift, pushing Seonghwa down next to San who immediately clung onto the older. He smirked, knowing Seonghwa wouldn't wake up San, and the olders glare only affirmed his statement. He stood outside, looking up at the sky.  
Whenever he did this at home, he reminisced bitterly, the stars would always shine. He could see galaxies, could seamlessly navigate using   
the night sky. In this city, he could barely make out 5 stars.  
Look to the night sky when you need assistance, his nanny had told him as a child, when his parents were too busy to spend time with him. Let them guide your way.  
He had.  
He had escaped his comfy life as the son of a nobleman, joining Hongjoong's crew without a second thought. He traded the shimmering silk for coarse cotton, manicured hands for calloused.  
He didn't regret it, not at all, but maybe he wouldn't have been here.  
He sighed, resting his chin on his hand.  
When the stars don't offer assistance, he thought grimly, it's not a good situation. He sighed, looking up at the moon and praying.


	4. The Flowers

Hecate watched the group from Poseidon's Palace, the god in question on his coral throne. He was frowning, face twisted in anger.  
"They are succeeding so far," he grumbled, "I thought you said this would be hard for them."  
The goddess of magic turned to him, smiling gently. "At ease Poseidon, it will only get harder."  
"It better," Poseidon groaned, twirling his trident in his hands. "My trigger finger is itching Hecate, and if they succeed I can't go back on my word."  
Hecate looked back at her portal, sighing as she made it disappear. "The only reason they'll be able to survive is if they're smart," she said, "which unfortunately they tend to be. Don't get your hopes up, you picked a bad crew to pick revenge on."  
She exited the Palace in a swirl of rainbow sparkles, leaving the sea god still grumbling angrily. He turned his head to his left, looking at his captive.  
Hongjoong was in a cage of kelp, guarded by jellyfish either side. His wrists were tied with the same kelp, same with his ankles. He had an oxygen tank to help him breathe, effectively gagging him and preventing him from being able to fight back.  
"I can't wait for them to fail," the sea god said conversationally, "then I can finally dispose of you."  
Hongjoong glared back ferociously, undeniably angry but unable to speak without drowning himself. Poseidon chuckled in a mocking manner, turning away from him.  
"Don't worry, your little friends will die soon enough."  
\----  
Seonghwa woke up to the sound of rain, a hole in the roof allowing the liquid to hit his chest. He could see San blinking awake next to him, with Yeosang alert and awake in the chair. Yunho was still conked out on the floor, though his stomach grumbled audibly.  
"We're going to need to get some food soon," Yeosang stated, "We haven't been hungry, I think maybe due to Hecate, but we shouldn't test our limits."  
"I had a dream," San said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Like the one you had for me. It was a statue, with Eglantine roses around it."   
"Eglantine roses," the eldest hummed, standing up to wake up Yunho, "They symbolise a wound to heal, could we maybe be finding Wooyoung? He was the only one I can think of who was injured beyond a bruise or scrape?"   
"If he is, does that mean that his wound hasn't healed?" Yeosang worried, "I don't have my equipment and beyond a few stitches I couldn't do much for him before the ship cracked in half-"  
"We'll figure it," the eldest said calmly, pulling Yunho up, "But for now we need to find that statue. What was it like, San?"   
"Well, the dream was dark," San recalled, trying to think back. "Like it was night time, but the eglantine roses were as bright as ever. The statue had a hand to its head, and there was a plaque but I couldn't read it."   
"Wait," Yunho said, half awake, "Does that mean we need to find him at night time?"   
"I don't know," the oldest said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "let's find this statue now, and if we have to come back at night we'll find something to eat."   
\----  
They embarked on their adventure, heading into the centre of the city. They looked around every green space possible, San's sharp eyes scanning every statue he saw, but nothing was like the one he'd seen in his dream.  
" There's nothing to even say he's in the city," Yeosang said, disheartened. "Would it be worth waiting for him to show up and then following the people?"  
"I don't want another San situation," Seonghwa immediately said, cringing slightly as he realised that sounded a bit mean. He looked at San apogetically, "no offense."  
"None taken," the youngest said, still scanning the immediate city scape, "I was terrified."  
As the discussion continued, San suddenly got a sharp pain in his head. He clutched his head, grimacing and turned to his friends only for the pain to dissipate. He looked up in confusion, seeing his friends meeting his gaze.  
"What was that?" Yunho asked, concerned.  
"I don't know," San frowned, "my head hurt but when I turned to you it stopped."  
San turned back, only for the pain to return full force. "Agh!"  
"Turn back to us," Seonghwa asked, and sure enough when San obeyed the pain was gone.  
"Is, is Hecate helping us out?" Yeosang asked, "San follow the way that doesn't hurt."  
"Of course it's painful," San sulked, "couldn't give us like a cat or something to follow, noooooooo, let's give San the world's most demonic headache." Regardless, he reluctantly took point, guiding the group with many winces until they came to an abandoned shopping centre.  
"In here?" Yunho asked, unsure, "this doesn't look like somewhere I'd put a statue."  
"Hey you told me to follow the headaches," San pouted, "and the headaches are taking me inside."  
"OK, let's follow the pain." Seonghwa lightly pushed the youngest inside, who led them into the abandoned building.  
The shopping centre was in a pitiful state, with shattered glass everywhere. A few of the old shops had left over merchandise, and there was a massive hole in the ceiling, but that wasn't the most remarkable thing. In the middle stood a statue of a man holding his head, surrounded by wild eglantine roses. Yunho stepped forward to read the plaque, before laughing.  
"The plaque says The Headache!"  
Seonghwa and Yeosang followed in laughter while San just grumbled, hauling himself up onto the statues podium.  
"Very funny, how do we free him?"  
As Yeosang opened his mouth to answer, storm clouds covered the sky, heavy rain pouring through. Squeaking in surprise, San fell back against the statue, gripping its hand which felt... Warm?  
The roses around San and the statue suddenly shot up high, encasing the duo much to the shock of the others. A bright white light formed between the cage of roses, growing brighter and brighter until the petals rained down onto the ground. The stem cage suddenly melted away, leaving San crouched onto the floor next to a collapsed Wooyoung. Yeosang ran to the younger men, relieved to see that Wooyoung's head wasn't bleeding, although the stitches were present.  
"You OK?" Yunho asked San, who just looked shell-shocked.  
"Yeah," he said quietly, "that-that was strange."  
"We need to get Wooyoung out of the rain," Yeosang piped up, "He's already unconscious, we don't need him catching pneumonia."  
Seonghwa helped him lift up Wooyoung, taking him to one of the shops on the lower level. They had beds, much to the groups delight, and as they laid Wooyoung down on one of them, he groaned. His eyes blinked open, hand going to his head.  
"What happened?" He asked groggily, trying to sit up. Yeosang quickly pushed him back down.  
"Take it easy," he said, "you're going to get overloaded with information pretty shortly so rest. You'll need to be awake and alert when we tell you."  
While Wooyoung rested, the others gathered on one of the other abandoned beds.  
"It looks like whoever gets found is the key to finding the next," Yunho stated, "We found Yeosang, Yeosang found San, San found Wooyoung- so Wooyoung must have a dream tonight."  
"It's logical," Yeosang said, before San interjected.  
"None of this is logical," the pink-haired male said cynically, "but it makes the most sense. That must mean we have about two days before we can find Hongjoong though."  
Seonghwa sighed, holding his head. He thought for a while, before speaking up.  
"We can't do anything right now anyway, so let's split up. Yeosang, can you keep an eye on Wooyoung? If he wakes up, ask him if he had any dreams. The rest of us should scout for some supplies. Yunho- have a look to see if you can find some food. This place says shopping centre on the outside so if there's any it should be here. Maybe some medical supplies too if you can find any. San, keep a focus on any clothes we can give Wooyoung when he wakes up. Maybe some of that hair dye stuff too, along with a chopping instrument like the scissors. I'll have a look for anything we can use to form a base. This is probably the best place for it, there's no holey roof here and there's beds so we shouldn't ache as much."  
With that they dispersed to do their separate jobs.  
\----  
In Wooyoung's dream, he was stood in a library. It was empty, with charred books surrounding him like the place had been ransacked. Some of them were still smouldering, some still had flames eating them up.   
One book, laid in front of him, appeared to have escaped the flames. It was bound in red leather with golden accents, however it had no name on the spine or the front, nor a blurb. He opened it to the first page, when it suddenly glowed with a bronze light. The pages flipped rapidly of their own accord, speeding up as the book started to levitate out of Wooyoung's hands.   
He stumbled backwards as the light grew to bright to see, hands coming up to cover his eyes as he tripped over a fallen shelf. As he looked up again, a familiar pair of eyes could be seen in the light, before he returned to life.


	5. The Library

"I couldn't find much," San said regretfully, holding a black sleeveless shirt with black jeans in his hands. "This was all I could find. Not even any hair dye."  
"That's fine," Seonghwa smiled, using blankets to cover the broken glass and dirt on the floor. "At least he'll fit in somewhat."  
Yunho was helping him, hanging sheets above their heads to catch any falling glass. His meagre pile of medical supplies and food was on one of the beds, enough to survive but not for long. Yeosang was rifling through them, looking at the directions on each thing that looked like it would help.  
"Anything I can do?" San asked, perching on the bed next to Wooyoung.  
"Not at the minute," the eldest wiped his head with the back of his hand, sitting next to him. "Now we play the waiting game."  
"I hate the waiting game," Yeosang grumbled, trying to figure out how to open a can of soup. He grinned when he managed to open it with the pull tag, sniffing it suspiciously before looking at Seonghwa. "Anything we can use to heat this up?"  
"There was a shop selling 'furniture' on this floor," San stumbled over the pronunciation of 'furniture', "It had a lot of wood in it so you could maybe burn that?"  
Yeosang nodded, heading out of the bed shop with Yunho to cook some food.  
As they left, Wooyoung started to blink awake, stretching out like a cat. He sat up, hair a mess but alive.  
"Welcome back to the land of the living," Seonghwa chuckled, "How are you feeling?"  
The youngest grimaced, "A bit gross and sticky but otherwise OK. What happened?"  
Seonghwa explained the situation while San helped the younger figure out how to wear the clothing. When the story was finally done, Wooyoung's eyes bugged out of his head.  
"Wow. OK then." Was all he could say, reeling from the information.  
"It's like information overload isn't it?" San sympathised, patting his shoulder. "I still don't understand most of this."  
"I'm not sure that I'm not dreaming," the dark-haired man mumbled under his breath.  
"Speaking of dreams," Seonghwa interrupted, "did you have any? They seem to be what's leading us to our crew."  
"I had one," he admitted, "but I don't know if you can make any sense out of it."  
Wooyoung explained the details of his dream, the smouldering library with the untouched book. The other two frowned, looking at each other.  
"Could you tell who's eyes they were?" San asked curiously, only for Wooyoung to shake his head.  
"I couldn't look at them long enough, the light was too bright."  
"That's OK," Seonghwa hummed, standing up. "You two wait here and rest for a bit longer, I'm going to tell the others and see if we can find a smouldering library."  
He found the other two pretty quickly, following the smell of the food. They were holding hot cans of soup, clearly preparing to take them to the others.  
"Hyung!" Yunho passed him a can, "it's really nice!"  
Seonghwa thanked him, swallowing a mouthful out of the can. He told them about the library theory, making them frown.  
"I haven't heard anything about a burning library on the news or in newspapers," Yeosang said, "but there's a bookshop in here with pretty serious fire damage."  
He handed one of the cans he was holding to Yunho, telling him to take them to the other two while he guided Seonghwa to the shop.  
They scanned it, unable to find the red book Wooyoung had meticulously described.  
"Hey, don't look so down," Yeosang said to Seonghwa, "Let's bring Wooyoung here, he may be able to find it."  
So they returned, where the trio had nearly finished their soup. They explained the bookshop theory, taking the group to the shop.  
"This is the place," Wooyoung said slowly, "but the book is not where I saw it."  
He wandered through the remaining shelves, scanning each meticulously. When he got to the end, he opened a wooden door.  
"There's a whole other room back here!" He cried out, before seeing the book in the centre of the room.  
"This door wasn't here when we were in here earlier!" Yeosang yelled, "I told you we may just need Wooyoung!"  
Wooyoung picked up the book, and sure enough, like his dream, it levitated, flipping rapidly through the pages with a bronze glow until Mingi's body appeared above the book, dropping with a solid thunk. Yunho and San quickly lifted him up, dragging him to the bed shop while the others looked at each other.  
"What do we do now? Wait until Mingi has a dream?" The youngest pushed his hair out of his eyes, as the older two basically confirmed his point.  
"OK then, I'm going to take a walk because that was insane." Wooyoung quickly exited the room, climbing up broken escalators and stair cases until he managed to reach the top of the building. He breathed in the fresh (ish) air, resting against the railing.  
This was bizarre, he kept thinking, this doesn't happen.  
And yet here he was, leaning against a railing watching the metal hunks the others called cars speed by. This kind of technology didn't exist, but he was fascinated by it.  
None of this made sense and he was frustrated by it, but he was also scared. The others seemed so well adjusted that it was like Wooyoung was the only man out of time, and he didn't like that one bit.  
He looked at the ground below, head in his hands. It would be so easy to end it all now, to not struggle through the rest of it. As much as he hated to admit it, suicide would be the easy way out.   
He sighed, sliding down the wall and getting lost in memories.  
\----  
When Wooyoung was a child, he hadn't necessarily been poor, but not quite wealthy either. He was the son of a carpenter, so he had a fair amount of money, enough to live comfortably as his father said.  
Wooyoung had been a rambunctious child, always in trouble. However, his trouble-making ways had quickly ended when his father became horrendously ill.  
He had quickly turned from a playful child into a full-time caregiver. The doctors and priests had said it was no use, that the easy thing to do would be to kill him painlessly to save him from suffering, but Wooyoung had refused. He tended to his father for 2 years until he passed away. Soon after his death, the debts he had accumulated quickly caught up to him. Too young to work, he ran away, not willing to become someone's slave to repay his debts.  
That was when Hongjoong had found him, curled up and shivering in the bitter winter snow. The offer to join his crew had been welcome, and he had quickly recovered under the care of the crew, despite still being in mourning. He quickly regained his childish glee, becoming one of the terrible trio with Mingi and San. The chaos on the ship was welcoming, a fun environment for him, and he never looked back.  
\----  
Wooyoung looked up as the sun started to set, unsure of how long he'd been out there. Feeling the chill start to settle into his bones, he quickly stood up, shaking out his limbs to prevent them cramping.  
He looked over the ledge one more time, before smirking and turning away.  
When had Wooyoung ever taken the easy way out?  
\----  
Mingi was lost in a storm, the rain soaking him to the bone. His teeth were chattering, hands trying to protect his eyes from the rain when he was a ray of sunshine peeking through the dark clouds.  
His energy renewed, he strained against the strong wind, trying to find his way to the sunlight. His hair whipped heavily in the wind, and he felt like he would be blown away.  
Once he got to the centre he paused for breath, everything mysteriously clear. It was devoid of wind and rain, just the warmth of the sunshine sinking pleasantly in his skin. He turned around, catching a glimpse of a figure suspended in a tank of water.  
He took a cautious step forward, before jumping when the floor cracked under him. Although the tried to scramble back, it collapsed beneath him, sending him falling, falling...  
Until he opened his eyes.


	6. The Tank

Mingi surged up on the bed, still feeling like he was falling. Hime took gulping breaths, trying to calm himself.  
"Mingi, are you OK?" Seonghwa fretted, quickly making his way to the taller.  
"I- yeah," he sighed, "I had the weirdest dream..."  
"What about?" Yunho asked.  
"I was stuck in a storm, and the sun shone through so I managed to get to a dry part when I saw a man in a box of water. When I tried to get closer to him the ground collapsed under me." Mingi chuckled breathlessly, still a bit worked up. "What a crazy dream."  
"A man in water?" Wooyoung said, remembering something he passed on the way to the roof. "Mingi what did the floor look like?"  
"Blue and white squares, why?"  
"There's something called an aquarium on the floor before the top, that has what you're describing just without the water."  
"Wait, what?" Mingi asked incredulously, "what's going on?"  
"I forgot you don't know," Seonghwa hummed, "Wooyoung, scope out that aquarium thing and see if there's any with water in it. Take San and Yeosang with you but don't do anything stupid. Mingi, Yunho and I will explain the situation."  
Wooyoung nodded, pushing himself off the bed and guiding the other two up the stairs.  
" I wonder what an aquarium is," San thought aloud, passing the broken sign. "Why would you need glass boxes of water?"  
"Maybe they would store sea life?" Yeosang asked, looking at the sand at the bottom of one of the empty tanks. "This sure look like an ocean bed."  
Wooyoung sighed, carefully walking among the broken glass. "If we find anything without Mingi it will be a miracle," he grumbled. "San can you get them? They should have explained it by now."  
The older nodded, heading back to collect the others while Yeosang and Wooyoung continued to search around. They only found a single intact tank, but with no water or life to be found. When they returned to the end, the others were picking their way through the glass.  
"We found an intact glass box, but nothing beyond that." Wooyoung sighed, before catching Mingi's concerned face.  
"Can you hear running water?" The taller asked, quickly stepping and making his way towards the tank in question when he yelled in panic. The others sped up before they saw the cause of Mingi's panic.  
Water was filling up the tank from nowhere, and Jongho was banging on the glass, unable to break it. The water level was already at chest height, and rising rapidly. Sheer panic was evident on the maknae's face, but whatever he was yelling couldn't be heard through the glass.  
"We need to break the glass!" Mingi yelled, hitting it frantically.  
"I'll go find something heavy!" San cried out, practically flying out of the room while the others resorted to using whatever they could find.  
Jongho was struggling to keep his head above water, the frantic pummelling on the side of the glass only intensifying as he started to panic.  
"CALM DOWN!" Seonghwa yelled as loud as he can, trying to get the younger to hear him. "FOCUS ON BREATHING!"  
Jongho couldn't hear him, but seemed to take the hint, starting to tread water while he kept his breathing steady.  
San came back with a crowbar and an axe.  
"I couldn't find anything heavy but these might work," he panted as Yeosang immediately took the axe, striking and cracking the glass. Mingi did the same with the crowbar, each and every member of their group acutely aware of the fact that the air Jongho had was quickly depleting.  
Soon enough, Jongho was fully submerged in water, holding his breath for dear life as the others worked away at the crack. They managed to break a bit of the glass, causing the water in the tank to go down. Yunho wedged the crowbar in the tiny gap, pulling as far as possible. He managed to shatter a decent chunk of glass, the water rushing out causing all of them to slip and fall. San cried out as a bit of glass cut his cheek, hand clutching the cut out of instinct.  
Yeosang passed the axe to Seonghwa, telling him and Mingi to continue to work away at the glass. He quickly applied some antiseptic cream and a plaster to the cut on San's cheek, unable to really do anything else for it.  
Mingi and Seonghwa worked away at the glass until they were pulling a coughing and spluttering Jongho out of the gap they created. The youngest dropped to the floor, vicious coughs tearing out of his throat as he hacked up seawater. Seonghwa hit his back to try and help, and when Jongho was just panting, he hugged him desperately.  
"We need to get him into dry clothes quickly," Mingi said, dragging the two of them downstairs while the others followed. "That was terrifying!"  
When they were finally cleaned up, they all laid down on the same bed, the fear that they had felt having exhausted them. With Jongho's hair trimmed and clothing sorted, they had nothing else to do other than relax and explain the situation.  
Mingi could feel himself dissociating while the others explained their pitiful situation, remembering how he got to this point.  
\----  
Mingi had never had an easy life, being sold to a ship at a young age as payment for his father's debt. He had become the lowest of the low on that ship, doing all the dirty work with no pay. He was lucky to get a meal and blanket for the night, sometimes having to sleep on the deck because they wouldn't let him below.  
The day The Utopia had attacked his ship, he hadn't fought back, simply submitting to the captain. Hongjoong had taken mercy on him, inviting him to join his crew. He had taken the offer without a second thought, the screams of his abusers as their ship sank and he abandoned them ringing through his head.  
His hard life hadn't left him without some scars though, mentally and physically. However, as he painstakingly learned how to read and perform basic maths, he found that they were easy obstacles to overcome.  
No one on the ship had judged him for his inability to read or write, nor his dodgy accent from being raised with people of all backgrounds. They accepted him as one of their crewmates, and Mingi had done the same.  
He quickly drifted off to sleep, still reminiscing of better times.  
\----  
Jongho, meanwhile, was still awake, processing all the information. While the others fell asleep one by one, the maknae allowed himself to slip into his own memories.  
\----  
"THIEF! THIEF!"  
A young Jongho cursed under his breath as the man he pickpocketed realised his coin purse was gone. He shoved it under his pants, trying to stroll away as nonchalantly as he could. He followed being a random woman, pretending he was her child, which worked as the gentleman ran right past him. He sighed in relief, quickly heading home.  
His mother was washing laundry when he slipped in, and he headed up to his room, tipping the coins from the purse into his own.  
He had stolen quite a bit, enough now, he thought, hearing the door slam. The young Jongho winced, quickly hiding the coins as the screams of his mother were heard. He headed down, seeing his father beating her again.  
When his father caught sight of him, he let the woman go, who crawled into a corner whimpering. The man surged towards the child, dragging him down the stairs by his hair and throwing him ay his mother. Jongho could smell the booze on him, and he looked up at the man defiantly. He paled as a knife was held in his direction, the man slurring out a threat that would stay with him forever.  
"You look a' me wi' tha'face again sonny an' I'll mess you up good 'n proper, I will."  
Jongho had raced upstairs, grabbing his bag of coins and coming back down when it was safe. He tried to persuade his mother to come with, but she wouldn't, trying to plead with the boy to stay with her, but Jongho knew he couldn't. In a move he would regret, despite trying his best to get his mother to come with, he ran to the docks, finding the first captain he could.  
He thrust the money pouch into his hands, pleading with the man to take him with him. Hongjoong had looked at him, given him the pouch back and simply led him aboard.  
Jongho never knew why Hongjoong hadn't interrogated him. He knew the captain was barely older than himself (leading Jongho to sometimes question how he had obtained a ship so young, but he'd never asked), but he had been barely 14 when he joined, which should have raised some questions. However, the captain didn't even blink.  
Jongho sighed as he came to, closing his eyes to try and catch some sleep.  
\----  
Poseidon was cursing in his throne, the carcass of a dolphin floating in front of Jim. It was impaled by the gods trident, and Hongjoong was looking on in horror as the seas turned from clear to grey.  
When the gods tantrum calmed down, he rounded on the human, dragging him out of the kelp cage and throwing him at his mermaid servants.  
"Take him to a cave and tie him up in the kelp!" He hissrd venomously, "If I have to give these brats their captain and the treasure I'm gonna make it as hard as possible."  
The servants saluted, dragging the thrashing Hongjoong out of the palace while Poseidon sulked in his throne.  
Hecate, who had simple watched from the sidelines, finally came forward. "I told you they were smart," she said amicably, "Shall I send them back to their own world?"  
"Fine," Poseidon grumbled, "You can fix their ship too."  
When she left, a dark grin spread across the sea gods face and he chuckled evilly.  
"Good luck finding your captain."


	7. The Cave

The seven men woke up to a rumbling sound. The ground shook beneath them, shaking a few members out of the beds they had found. It was a violent tremor, making them unable to stand.  
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Wooyoung yelled, "AN EARTHQUAKE?"  
Before anyone could answer his question, the ground cracked and collapsed, sending the seven falling.  
\----  
Hongjoong was in a pitiful state, he had to admit.  
Since he'd been kidnapped he hadn't necessarily been looked after, and he had been deprived of food and water for so long he physically didn't have the strength to fight back any longer.  
However, when 8 familiar faces entered the cave where he was now tied among the kelp, he froze.  
In front of him were duplicates of his crew, dressed in black with fedoras. His own duplicate grinned dangerously at him, eyes glinting maliciously.  
Hongjoong couldn't find the words to speak, and his duplicate grabbed his chin roughly, pulling it up to look at him.  
"Well well, look what we have here," he grinned toothily. "I'm sure you're confused, so let us explain." On the word explain he grinned again, too wide to be genuine.  
"You see, little captain, Poseidon formed us out of sea foam. He was irritated that you had managed to succeed and so he's given your little crew one last, what's the word, test."  
The dark Seonghwa and Wooyoung started tying Hongjoong's duplicate, replicating the captain's own bonds. The dark-Hongjoong continued to grin maliciously, still talking.  
"Giving foam humans vocal chords is such a pain, so the others can't speak. Silent guardians if you will. However, they have to pick the right leader to take back with them, and I assure you, I am quite the convincing actor."  
His dark clothes melted away to show tattered duplicates of Hongjoong's own, and the clones face became frightened, tugging at his bonds desperately before laughing with glee.  
" Oh yes, this shall be fun indeed."  
\----  
When Seonghwa awoke, he rested on the deck of The Utopia, still clad in his clothes from the future. The others groaned around him, waking up themselves, but a quick scan revealed Hongjoong wasn't with them.  
"What-" He groaned, before his head was slammed onto the deck.  
\----  
The vision all 7 members shared was possibly the most confusing of all. Two Hongjoongs, tangled in kelp, one struggling while the other merely glared. 7 dark men stood around the glaring Hongjoong, faces covered by the heavy fedoras. The 7 members were by the struggling one, who looked terrified.  
\----  
"What was that?" San cried out when they awoke, pink hair dishevelled. "What happened?"  
"I think it's a final test," Jongho said quietly. He looked up, meeting Seonghwa's eyes. "Find the cave and find Hongjoong before the timer runs out."  
"Timer?" Mingi asked, "What timer?"  
"You didn't see it? Right between the Dark Yunho and Seonghwa?"  
"Woah what?" Wooyoung's eyes bugged out, looking at Jongho incredulously.  
"Maybe this is Jongho's dream," Yeosang butted in, "we saw the basics, but Jongho saw what we actually need to save him."  
"It's plausible," Seonghwa hummed, "explain what you saw."  
"The 7 men dressed in black, they were duplicates of us." Jongho sighed, leaning against the side of the ship. "And they had an hourglass between Seonghwa and Yunho, only the sand was going backwards. I'm guessing that's our time frame to find him."  
"Wait we're on a schedule?" Yunho cried out incredulously, "There are thousands of caves on this stretch of coast, how do we know which one?"  
The crew fell silent, contemplating, when suddenly San's face creased in thought. He ran below deck to the map room, fumbling through the pristine sheets of paper until he found one he recognised. It had been damaged by water when they found it, and he and Hongjoong worked meticulously on it until it could be read. He handled it carefully, bringing it up top and gently laying the fragile paper on the floor.  
"Hongjoong and I worked on this for a long time to get it readable again," he said, "and on the top, you see those symbols?"  
"That's our first language," Yunho said, remembering his life before the slave master kidnapped him. "It says - The Cave Of Reversal."  
"Its not so far from here," San looked up, "we assumed it meant a cave of healing but, with the hour glass going backwards-"  
"That could be where he's captive," Seonghwa patted San's head with a quiet "Good job", heading up to the wheel.  
"I'm not as good at steering as Hongjoong is," he stated, "But I'll do my best. San, direct me."  
"On it!"  
As the crew scrambled to set sail, Seonghwa hoped that they would find Hongjoong in time.  
\----  
Hongjoong, on the other hand, was irritated by his duplicates antics. The duplicate was playing scared 100% of the time, struggling and twisting the kelp dramatically.  
"Oh knock it off would you?" He snapped, "They're not even here yet and you're playing the fool."  
"Oh but you never know when they will be," dark-Hongjoong said, voice silky smooth. "Aren't you scared, little captain?"  
Hongjoong kept his mouth stubbornly shut, not wanting to admit that he was terrified, causing the duplicate to smirk evilly. However, before the clone could speak again, Mingi's voice called out "HONGJOONG?"  
Dark-Hongjoong smirked once more, before playing scared again.  
"I'M DOWN HERE! HELP!"  
\----  
"Well, that's his voice," Mingi said, looking at the other members.  
They all looked at each other, not liking the look of the drop below.  
"Well, here we go I guess," sighed Yunho, rolling his shoulders and dropping down. His landing was hard, and he was fairly sure he'd injured his shoulder, but he called up to the others to follow, catching them as they fell down. Jongho had the foresight to tie a rope to a tree before jumping.  
"In case it's the only way out," was his explanation, which Yunho had to admit was solid reasoning.  
They wandered through the dark cave, drops of water occasionally sliding down their necks and backs. Hongjoongs voice kept calling out to them, amplified by the acoustics of the cave in question.  
"This is creepy," Yeosang shivered, goosebumps on his arm. "I don't like this one bit."  
"Hopefully we'll never do it again," Seonghwa agreed, thoroughly creeped out himself. "The cave goes left here."  
After they worked their way through a labyrinth of rock, they finally emerged into a spacious cave, with - glowing moss?  
Well, he'd just been to the future and was rescuing his captain from an angry sea god, Seonghwa thought cynically. Glowing moss was the least of his problems right now.  
He scanned the cave, finding a kelp patch tucked away. Despite not having any water around it, it swayed like it was caught in a current, and the oldest was sure this was the place.  
"Come on now," he pushed the others towards it, "No time to waste."  
As they drew closer, 8 shadows suddenly materialised in front of the patch. Their own duplicates manifested in front of their eyes, the dark fedoras and masks making them appear intimidating. Some of the younger members yelped in fear, but Seonghwa stood stubbornly in front of them. The 8th shadow manifested an hourglass with sand moving backwards, like the one Jongho had seen. It appeared they had made it in the nick of time, as barely any sand was left in the bottom half.  
The eldest gulped, meeting the sharp eyes of his duplicate. "Let us past," he said sharply, like the duplicate was a petulant child. "We have business here."  
The duplicates eyes twitched, like he was grinning beneath the mask, and the seven faded away, leaving the hourglass there alone.  
"This doesn't happen," Came Wooyoung's whispered mantra from behind him. Seonghwa didn't even have to look to know that San and Yunho were clinging onto the younger, with the other three likely staying close together too. Bravely, he took a step into kelp patch, parting it to see a clearing in the middle of it.  
This was where the two Hongjoong's were tied up, one struggling dramatically while the other looked at him, judging. Seonghwa had to laugh, and he headed to his leader.  
"Wow, he's dramatic isn't he!" He chuckled, slashing the kelp with his cutlass.  
Hongjoong couldn't help but chuckle himself, rubbing his wrists as he was freed. "Yeah well, I figured explaining to him that I don't cry for help like a child wouldn't help you find me."  
Seonghwa nodded his assent, ignoring the infuriated cries of the duplicate behind them as he helped the weakened captain out of the kelp patch.  
As he got out, the timer disappeared, and Wooyoung and San immediately glomped their leader. Seonghwa was sure he saw a few tears here and there, but he quickly broke up the crews reunion, telling them they could have it later on the ship.  
They returned the way they came, Jongho quickly scaling the rope and helping the others up, and they quickly boarded the shop, sailing away from the cave.  
San and Wooyoung were regaling the captain of their tales while Yeosang checked his health. Yunho had gone downstairs to find some food and water for the captain while Jongho and Mingi were discussing ideas to reinforce the boat.  
Seonghwa couldn't help but grin, glad the nightmare they had been trapped in was over.


	8. The Treasure

"Wait," Yunho said suddenly, 5 days after the incident. The others turned to him.  
"Hecate said Poseidon would give us his treasure if we succeeded but I haven't seen it?"  
The crew turned to Hongjoong, who just smirked at the wheel.  
"I was waiting for you to realise," he grinned playfully. "You've all been rooming in my quarters so you haven't seen what's in your actual room have you?"  
Eyes bugging out, the younger members dashed to their shared room, leaving Hongjoong chuckling at the wheel and a confused Seonghwa beside him.  
"What-" he managed to get out, before being interrupted by loud yelling from below deck. San and Mingi were hoisting up two pearl-encrusted treasure chests, seemingly made out of coral.  
Seonghwa's mouth dropped, and he looked at Hongjoong. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
The captain merely smirked, "You try sleeping with 6 rowdy children. You have night duty. You don't have to deal with them."  
Seonghwa conceded, maybe still feeling a bit bad that the captain had been held captive the whole time, before joining the younger members in opening the chests. The were deceptively heavy, and when they were opened, they found all manners of jewels and coins.  
One of the chests was purely filled with ancient jewellery, from ship-wrecks judging by the rust. The other was filled with ancient coins and thousands of precious pearls. The excitement on the ship was practically tangible as they examined everything within the chests.  
The captain smiled once more, mooring the ship and joining the craziness on deck with pleasure.  
He couldn't help but laugh, knowing that somewhere in the ocean, Poseidon was seething about his failure.  
I mean, that's what you get when you mess with the crew of The Utopia.


End file.
